About

Hello! I am Zoë, a married Mum of two Uni students in her 50s who loves nature and the world around her. Other passions include, Photography, growing my own food, and learning to be ever more self sufficient.

I am regularly found in my kitchen making  jams, preserves, bread and sausages, and intend extending the foray into chacuterie this year, and want to learn about Curing and Smoking.

Other passions include gardening in all its forms, whether it be flowers or veg, design or propogation; it all interests me. I have an allotment, and also a garden at home, which is currently under redevelopment.  I keep 6 hens in my garden, and have recently started to bee-keep and have hives in a nearby orchard.

I have few vices, I don’t drink or smoke, but try and get me past a book shop without buying something – no chance.

I’ve had a difficult couple of years, and have had to overcome serious illness in several forms, Breast Cancer was the catalyst for many other problems as a result of the treatment I underwent, and I am now also Diabetic, and live with Lymphoedema and frequent bouts of Cellulitis. I have background Retinopathy too, so living in such a way as to protect my sight tends to consume me, as I cant imagine a life without sight.

I had retrained in Garden Design, having spent a lifetime designing and developing software solutions on a freelance basis for blue chip clients on an IBM mainframe platform. Side effects of cancer treatment have left me unable to draw, so despite the retraining, I am not able to pursue that  long held dream.

That’s enough about the past – hopefully this blog will chart my progress as I try to establish some ordinariness back into my life, and stop being a patient, and find Zoë again.